Our Process
With over 100 years of designing and building custom homes in the Eagle River and surrounding areas Zimpelmann Builders & Supply has a reputation for craftsmanship, attention to detail, and for creating homes with enduring value and having classic North Woods appeal. From new construction to historic preservation, room additions to major renovations, we understand and appreciate the value of your investment. Our team of designers, builders and craftsmen is committed to creating homes with exceptional quality which reflects that understanding.
How Do We Get Started?
Whether you contact us by phone, email or through our website contact form we will get back to you by the method of your choice to discuss your project and schedule an appointment for you to meet with Paul Zimpelmann, the owner of Zimpelmann Builders and Supply, Inc. The first meeting can be either at your property or in our office. Paul will listen to your input to help us develop a mutual vision with you on the scope of your work and will answer any questions you have regarding your project or how we operate, what we do, ect… If the first meeting is in our office ultimately at some point we will need to visit your home or property to get a first hand look at what your layout and setting is.
As discussions progress we will provide you with a detailed Home Design and Finish Questionnaire, which will help us, and probably you the homeowner, define and develop a more detailed summary of your project. This questionnaire is critical in helping us get a complete list of your requirements and will help you prioritize your work based on budget limits if needed. Using this Zimpelmann Builders will put together a rough estimate of the budget required to complete your project, based on a comparison project that we have recently completed that is roughly similar to the work you are considering.
Because we are very concerned that the project we outline for you is also the one that is within your budget expectations before we start, if the initial "historical" budget we present is outside your budget expectation we can often provide a compromise target budget by either modifying the design or the work scope specifications you presented us. In many cases this creates a home solution that fits your needs and is achievable at the level of investment you are comfortable with. Up to this point in the process, there has been no cost to you.
What is the Design Process?
Once a target budget has been determined, the next step is to enter into a formal Design Agreement. This is a very simple agreement that lays out our design costs and the 50% rebate you receive when we enter into a Construction Contract.
Conceptual Design/Design Development
After a Design Agreement is entered one of our designers will review your program work scope and examine the existing building and/or site parameters. This will lead to the generation of a conceptual floor plan for your review.
In some cases homeowners come to us with sketches or floor plans that they have seen in magazines, ect… that are close to or match what they are looking for. In other times we "start from scratch". Even with a preliminary layout provided by a homeowner floor plan development can be iterative in nature and may take some time as the project layout starts to take shape. Regardless of our starting point in most situations the Conceptual Design process is handled by direct communications.
Once the conceptual floor plans are finalized and approved the design is refined with actual building components. At this point the floor plan layout should be essentially complete.
Final Plans and Construction Documents
This is the phase where most of the drawing is actually done by our draftsman. Structural, electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems are defined and most product selections such as doors, windows, roofing, etc. are finalized. Dimensioned and notated floor plans, sections, elevations, details, window, door and finish schedules are produced. This is also the phase where we request that potential trade contractors and suppliers review the plans and give us feedback on the best and most cost-effective strategies for all elements of the construction.
Supplier/Trade Contract Bids and Contract Documents
When the plans and specifications are complete we request final pricing from our trade contractors and suppliers. Our Project Manager (who is also the designer for the project) will request bids from trade contractors that complete the work scope and plans developed to this point. We work with our trade partners for a variety of reasons including price, but more importantly for their high level of experience, quality, cooperation, communication and service after the sale. All trades that we deal with are ones that we have had long term and successful working relationship with for years.
Each contractor bid received is carefully reviewed to assure it's conformity with the plans and specifications. Even though we do have a select list of trades that work with us in almost every case we solicit multiple bids for work. This keeps pricing competitive to ensure you the homeowner receive the best value for your money.
After all proposals have been received and reviewed we prepare a detailed Work Cost Estimate with a summary of all fixed sum and allowance tasks, as well as the Construction Documents and Contract. These are presented to the Owners for signing, after which we receive a deposit and begin the permitting and construction process.
What is the Construction Process?
Project Management
At this point you have developed a close working relationship with Paul Zimpelmann and your Project Manager, who will spend a portion of every day at your project to work on your behalf with our trade partners and our employees to assure conformance with the plans and specifications. He supervises the work as it proceeds, reviews all completed work and must approve all trade work before the trade partner is paid.
Our firm is accustomed to working long distance with our clients, many of whom live out of the area. If you are a homeowner that lives outside of the Eagle River area be assured that both Paul Zimpelmann and your Project Manager will keep you informed about your project status via phone, fax and email. You will hear from us on a regular basis and will receive regular updates and photos of your work progress. Teleconference meetings via Skype at your convenience are not uncommon to discuss any areas of concern you might have.
Construction Allowances
Zimpelmann Builders believes that an open and transparent business model is the best approach in building a home, especially when it comes to financial matters. As such we take great care to ensure the costs we provide to you are not only accurate and complete but that they represent the best value you can receive for your money.
As much as possible we like to work on a fixed cost basis. In spite of our best efforts some item costs cannot be determined exactly until they are completed or identified. For new home construction a good example is a well; there is simply no way to know how deep the well needs to be to find "good water". For remodeling or addition projects an example may be the labor and materials needed to demo and frame a new roof structure to current code requirements, or the work required to repair structural rot and/or insect infestations.
These type costs are defined in our Work Cost Estimate on an allowance basis, which means we do not know at the project start what the actual cost will be. Our allowance costs are based on a historical estimate of similar work but the final cost will be based on the actual work completed.
Customer Selection Allowances
At the time of contract signing additional decisions may not yet be finalized; this is customary. The estimated prices for such items are provided for in the contract and designated as Allowances. Examples of these costs are items like Kitchen, Bath and Electrical fixtures or floor coverings. Based on the input you have provided to us with your Home Design Finish Questionnaire we will estimate the type and quality of these items and will budgeted them accordingly for you.
When used allowance amounts are based on our discussions with you and are as realistic as we can make them. There will be time during the construction project when you will make your final selections, at which time these costs will be bid out and firm contract pricing will be obtained. The final price for an initial allowance item will depend on your selection of that item and in the end can be less or more than we have estimated.
Project Schedule
As we start construction we will discuss a general construction schedule. The construction schedule is an important part of the construction phase as it controls the flow of people and materials on the job site. It may also indicate when certain decisions you must make are required, allowing us enough lead-time to maintain the flow of the job.
Change Order Agreements
Some additions and changes during the construction process may be inevitable. If one is required or requested we will prepare a Change Order Agreement. This agreement will reflect the added costs to prepare and oversee the change, as well as direct labor and material costs and any time extension that may be required to complete the project. When approved these Change Order Agreements become part of our contract with you. To minimize changes we believe it is important to make as many decisions as possible during the design phase.
Substantial Completion
At the time of substantial completion of the work we will do a walk-through of the project with you to create and sign a final punch list of any items that may need to be completed. In most cases as we get close to completion we have already identified and fixed most of these items; we strive to not have any punch list at all. But, we are human and do recognize that small things may get missed so your help to address these things are welcome on our part.
Project Completion and Follow Up
After all the tools and equipment are removed from your site and your furniture is in and the refrigerator is stocked you can now start to enjoy your new or improved home. This is not the last time you will hear from us though. Zimpelmann Builders takes pride in our service and follow up after completion of all projects, regardless of size or scope. We have a one year warranty that starts on the date of substantial completion. We hope to hear from you regularly after the job is complete, Paul Zimpelmann will check back with you at various times in the months that follow job completion to see if you have any questions or issues with our work. If there are open workmanship or material issues Paul Zimpelmann will make sure that everything is taken care of.
Partners for Life
The above is not "Lip Service". Zimpelmann Builders is proud to have completed multiple projects over the years for many of our customers. Once our work is complete we would like to keep you a partner and friend for life.
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